He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.
Proverbs 21:23 NIV
It’s funny how something so small as the mouth, something so seemingly insignificant, can get so many people into trouble. I can’t tell you how many times I have done this, witnessed this, or experienced this to be true.
For example… you are the 3rd party in the middle of a conversation when all of the sudden one person says something that leaves everyone in the conversation stunned.
Almost in silence.
Did you know that this is not something that’s new to today? I cannot even begin to tell you how many variations of the word “mouth” there are in the Bible; I lost track somewhere over 300 times.
As a mom to two teenage sons, I have to tell you that the mouth, at least in our house, is the biggest enemy to peace and happiness. I wish it weren’t so, but for most people I know the mouth can be their biggest downfall.
Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin. Proverbs
10:14 NIV
I don’t want to be a fool; I don’t want to bring about destruction and ruin. I want to learn, grow, build up, encourage, and be a lifter of God’s Word and His people.
At my house, we have challenged each other (yep, all four of us) to memorize Scriptures that we have all have struggled with and one of our family favorites is Ephesians 4:29.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is
helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 NIV
We’re not anywhere close to perfect, but we have come so very far in trying to get control of our Big Mouths. I’ll share more in my next post here on August 21st, but for today, here are some things that I’ve found helpful:
- Acknowledge that most people struggle with having a Big Mouth.
- Forgive yourself and ask for forgiveness when it is needed.
- Learn from your mistakes.
- Seek wisdom from God’s Word.
Father God, thank you that you love us in spite of ourselves. Help us Father to use our words wisely, lovingly and as an encouragement to those around us. Fill us Father with your wisdom and discernment as we seek to be more like you. In Jesus name, Amen.
I am a talker, and it often gets me in BIG trouble. Thanks so much for this, Melissa!
Me too Joanne, so I’ve forced myself to learn all about the verses that have to do with my big mouth, heehee!
WOW God is wanting me to listen pretty hard to this topic. No less then 3 times in 2 hours has this subject has been brought to my attention this morning. I have been praying for my tounge LOL. I sure do need to work in this area and on an on going basis…
Good words for the soul this morning thank you for posting.
I just love when He does that Lisa, even though sometimes it hurts, it means that He loves us enough to keep showing us the same thing over and over. So glad you stopped by…Melissa
The more we realize that our mouths have the power to create or destroy, the greater results we will have in our lives. We are builders or bulldozers. We get to choose. God created the world by speaking and then created us in His image. We sabotage situations by not choosing our words wisely or by uttering things that should have never been said. Good word, Mel!
KJ
Well said my friend, well said…”We sabotage situations by not choosing our words wisely or by uttering things that should have never been said.”//love it! ~ Mel
I am not one to assert my big mouth so much towards others. However, I have been known to turn on myself a time or two. I am my worst enemy when it comes to taking down on myself. I have to realize that there is power of life and death in my tongue.
Wow Barbie, that’s hard, and yes I have done that too, but knowing that makes it so much easier to spot, doesn’t it? Thanks for the view on another side of this coin. ~ Melissa
[...] things about having a Big Mouth. If you haven’t had a chance to stop by and read it, you can click here to read it [...]
Thanks for the link over to the 2nd post…
[...] is not always something that is easy to do, and if you have a run away mouth like I do (Big Mouth 1 and Big Mouth 2), then you’ll know that this is not something you can do on your [...]